Joy is tripled when it is shared. We had so much joy being in California this past December. First, the town of Monterey, pre-Christmas celebration with costumed people singing carols, old guy with ornate barrel, caring multicolored parrots to entertain all cheerful souls around, kids skating on an artificial ice rink in the middle of the town square. Bright sun, blue skies, we are in high 60 F in the middle of a Central California winter. Pure festive joy of the Holidays. I managed to confuse the real French Laundry in Monterey with famous French Laundry restaurant by Thomas Keller in Yountville, CA.

This was a moment of hilarious confusion. The sign on the building after all, was stating "French Laundry", and we are in California.

As you have read in my previous newsletter, we went to the Esalen Institute to learn and practice Wisdom Healing Qigong™ with Master Mingtong Gu. Mingtong came to Esalen with his lovely wife and two small children. He is in his early 40, down to earth dude, that is always smiling. I was delighted to learn, that before opening his Chi Center in Petaluma on the campus of the Institute for Noetic Sciences, he earned his MA in Mathematics and MFA from several prestigious school in US. This is how Mingtong Gu defines Qigong "The energy that animates all life is referred to as “Qi” (pronounced ‘Chee'). Qi (Chi) is an invisible energy that cannot be seen, but it can be felt and experienced. As it travels through your body, it makes your heart beat, it nourishes your tissue and organs, and it even contributes to the conscious activities of your mind. Through movement, sound, visualization and meditation, Qigong can enable you to access this energy of life to calm mind, recharge your body and reduce stress” from www.chicenter.com Do check out this center, there are remote programs, that you can participate in at the comfort of your home.

And reduce stress, we did. In the company of about 50 people, mostly californians, but a few like us from the Northeast.

We met wonderful people, and befriended a few. I want to share with you my new friends. Amber Field is an amazing multi-instrumentalist, with haunting voice, soulful sounds of her percussion instruments and didgeridoo. If you already came for your healing session this year, you have heard her healing music from CD “Serendip”, that I am playing so much now. Check her out, remember the name, buy her music. www.amberfieldmusic.com

Xin-Rain, my new friend, another artist, that expresses himself through words and spaces in between them. You see him in the picture to my right, with wool peruvian shawl hugging his broad shoulders (former pro hockey player). Yes, white man with Chinese name, sound healer in his own rights. This is what he wrote to me in my 2015 red notebook, that I always carry with me.

“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous… … Leading to the most amazing view, where something strange and more beautiful than your deepest dreams waits for you”